• Building Classroom Community and Culture
• Inquiry-Based Methods
  
• Active Learning (Collaborative and Hands-On Projects)
• Engagement through Curiosity and Critical Thinking
• Feedback
• Reflective Practice and Continuous Improvement
• Equity-Based Practices

Highlighted Teaching Approaches and Practices

• Trauma-Based Teaching
• Restorative Grading

Highlighted Teaching Approaches and Practices

• Authentic, real-world problem- and project- based learning
• Collaborative Teamwork
• Engagement through Curiosity and Critical Thinking
• Making Connections to Sustainability

Highlighted Teaching Approaches and Practices

• Experiential Learning
• Choice-Based Assignments
• Student Self-Assessment and Goal Setting
• Role-playing
• Disussion
• Scaffolded Assignments
• Formative Assessment
• Feedback

Highlighted Teaching Approaches and Practices

• Hands-on Activities
• Group Projects
• Multimedia Assignments
• Designing Connected and Authentic Instruction
• Reflecting On and For Practice
• Continuous Improvement

Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences

Dr. Bolyard focuses her practice on helping students “embrace equity-centered, trauma-informed practices.” She is an expert in teaching, which is evident in her use of best practices for teaching, such as the use of clear learning goals paired with research-based strategies and formative assessment of, for, and as learning.

Dr. Bolyard implements strategies to promote high levels of teacher-student and student-student interactions, creates inclusive content, and uses data to make decisions to meet student needs.

Dr. Bolyard plans to continue to grow her teaching practice by “providing more meaningful feedback”, “increas[ing] the use of modeled UDL practices”, and “mak[ing] equitable teaching practices explicit”.

Biology

Dr. Kovacs is committed to student success and works to “create an innovative and inclusive learning environment.” He is a highly reflective practitioner and engages in teaching as inquiry where he experiments with various strategies, tests different modalities, and uses data to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional practices. Dr. Kovacs uses findings from his inquiries into teaching and learning to modify practice in order to meet individual students’ needs, and he has found success using strategies such as: a) activating prior knowledge, b) integrating diverse perspectives into content, c) discussion, and e) the use of humor to engage students in complex content.

Criminology

Dr. LaPrade strives to help all of her students “feel emboldened and ignited” when they leave her classroom. She implements experiential learning strategies to engage students in real-world, hands-on, and authentic learning tasks coupled with designing assignments to provide students a ‘sense of audience’ with students presenting their work to real organizations within the field and involving students through peer assessment practices. She invites students into learning through her use of clear expectations, personal relevance, and inclusive assignments. Dr. LaPrade seeks on-going student feedback throughout the semester and uses the data to adapt her courses to meet student needs. Dr. LaPrade is working to incorporate active learning into the online environment and aspires to “spark[ing] more flames for learning.”

Criminology

Dr. Sandel is recognized as a faculty member who “goes above and beyond” for students. He strives to provide an individualized learning experience for all students, and has found success implementing effective feedback where students are given ongoing information about their own learning. He also uses feedback from students to adapt his teaching practice. Dr. Sandel differentiates materials and formats for his students in order to provide personalized learning and to ensure accessibility for all students.

Assistant Professor
History

Every student, whether they are enrolled in seated or online courses, should be able to take classess that are accessible, challenging, and meaningful. - Dr. Jessica Elliott

Dr. Elliott creates engaged communities within fully online courses utilizing asynchronous and synchrounous instructional delivery methods, research-based instructional practices, and the integration of technology tools to "expand access to meaningful higher education" (Elliott, J.). Dr. Elliott has noted more meaingful and consistent engagement with the use of online collaborative annotation tools "even when compared to in-class discussions in seated classes" (Elliott, J.).

Dr. Elliott has "high expectations but explains in detail exactly what she wants from us and how we can do it, so she really sets you up for success and growth" (student)

Associate Professor
Economics

I motivate students with my own passion for the subject and love seeing them develop an interest in the topic. - Dr. Timothy Flannery

Dr. Flannery is an expert in Game Theory, Behavioral Economics, and Behavioral Economics and Public Policy and engages in ongoing discipline-specific professional learning from leading researchers in the field of economics in order to provide students access to the most current theories and practices within the field. Students learn economic theory and complex concepts through game-based instruction and in-class experiments.

Assistant Professor
Philosphy

Dr. Harwood is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy, and he strives to help students be informed citizens and engaged scholars by creating a safe environment in which all students can discuss difficult issues. Dr. Harwood believes growing up in the deep South has been an asset to his role as an educator because his background is closer to the average MSU student than most professors. Comments from students are a testament to this belief; “this course gave me plenty of tools to fight for justice [and] what I believe is good.” – [this class] helped me to discover so much about the world and myself.” – Dr. Harwood has certainly encouraged engaged scholars when one student said they reached “a place of respect for the philosophies we studied and find the beauty in each. I think I will probably delve deeper into each at different points in my life. Which is definitely a surprise for me.”

Clinical Instructor
School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences

Relationshps should be the center of every classrom and teaching experience. - Dr. Amber Howard.

Dr. Howard utilizes student-centered approaches by engaging in humanizing, relevant, and relation-centered pedagogical practices, such as developing equitable, inclusive, and trauma-informed course policies, modeling best practices, and focusing on building relationships with students. Dr. Howard's students note her care for students, passion for teaching, ability to connect with students, and the creation of "a welcoming and safe environment for every individual to feel confident enough to be vulnerable" (student).

Associate Professor
Sociology and Anthropology

Whatever the students go on to do, I want them to carry with them an understanding of and respect for human diversity around the globe and through time. - Dr. Scott Worman

Dr. Worman strives to make course materials relevant, available, and affordable. When textbook costs exceeded $125, Dr. Worman made the decision to teach textbook-free using a series of shorter readings, relevant web resources, and videos. He has also transformed student research projects in his upperclassman courses to make fieldwork more accessible to students. He partnered with colleagues to provide local historical archaeology field experiences dropping costs to one-tenth of what a national field school experience would cost. Dr. Worman has supervised dozens of student internships with organizations like the Springfield History Museum, the Center for Archaeological Research, and the Mark Twain National Forest. He also advises student research projects, many of them being published in the Missouri Archaeological Society Quarterly, Logos, and conference presentations.